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Dog earing and appropiate rubber width

fenderjaguar

Active member
Messages
262
Ok, so I was very late to the dog earing party, but I'm a quick learner and I noticed something early on about the importance of rubber width.

I used to think that all rubber was the exact same width, but there are small but game breaking differences. I doubt it would make much difference in a normal non-dog eared channel, but with a dog eared channel, it can be the difference between it simply working or not.

From my findings, the unger rubber has the smallest width, the moerman, pulex and razrblade rubber is about the same (there are small differences). The unger rubber may only be like 1mm shorter, but it's the only rubber that will effectively work right with my custom dog eared contico/pulex channels.

I'm sure some of you will know this, but for the dog ear newbies, look at this diagram. I'm specifically taking about the distance highlighted by the green arrows:

http://i.imgur.com/b0cFZsA.jpg

There are several notes to make:

1, The razrblade rubber is about perfect for the liquidator channel.

2. The unger rubber is too short for the liquidator

3. The razrblade rubber is way too long for the pulex channel

4. The unger rubber is ok for the pulex channel.

The reasons are thus; if the rubber is too long, then the dog ear is not effectively pressing onto the rubber which is making contact with the window. If the rubber is too short, that can mean that the rubber in the middle of the channel is not sticking out enough to make proper contact with the window, even if the rubber under the dog ear is. Also, if the rubber is too short, the rubber can get pulled under the dog ear.

 
Almost agree with all that except unger hard works well in my liquidators

 
Indeed, your mileage may vary. Though I had no issues with the dog ears/edges of windows with the unger, I found that the middle of the blade was leaving a trace of water behind. Though at the time, my liquidator was completely virgin. With the clips bent back a little, from regular use, I can imagine it would be ok.

Also, that too short was better than too long. The edges simply don't work very well at all with the red rubber/pulex channel combo

 
I have a unger 0° with s channel and the red fireblade seems a tad too long for that

It is modded with my version of polz dogear and with unger soft i never have to detail anything on pole work

With the red it sometimes misses spots although it is better every time i use it so maybe my technique is altering a bit

 
I hate to seem like I continuously bash the s-channels, but I think they would be much worse to make dog eared channels out of than the pulex aluminium channels. Unless of course, you could get an even shorter rubber than the unger ones?

This is a pic of an s-channel and a pulex channel, side by side. Whilst the razrblade is even too long for the pulex channel, it's even worse on the s-channel:

http://i.imgur.com/vDUCl6s.jpg

Personally, I wouldn't even bother trying to make a dog ear on an s-channel, unless I had one of those sorbo docket rubber sharpeners or something.

At the moment, I'm calling the best combo for homemade dogears as pulex channels with unger blades. But if there are shorter blades/wider channels, I'd want to know about it. Right up to the point where they have the same kind of profile as the liquidator dog ear measuring up to the razrbalde/pulex/moerman sized blades.

 
I have been modding for years 1 way or another

The best channel to dogear imo is an ettore as they are wide but some people would struggle to use it as it almost covers the rubber

Perfect for razr etc

 
I like my old modded ungers and have shown vids of me 100% no detailing with them

 
I have been modding for years 1 way or anotherThe best channel to dogear imo is an ettore as they are wide but some people would struggle to use it as it almost covers the rubber

Perfect for razr etc
Thanks, that sounds perfect. I just wish they made a regular channel out of aluminium? Not like the 'super channels' or whatever...

I like my old modded ungers and have shown vids of me 100% no detailing with them
Yeah, I don't doubt it. But given the fact they are shorter than what I'm currently working with, I think it would give worse results for me.

Also, it's so much harder to cut through steel etc. Do U have a grinder or something?

 
I prefer stainless as it doesn't bend if dropped

Dropped an old modded brass one from ladder and it distorted the dogear

I use my heavy duty hacksaw and cut straight through it

 
Ok, so I was very late to the dog earing party, but I'm a quick learner and I noticed something early on about the importance of rubber width.
I used to think that all rubber was the exact same width, but there are small but game breaking differences. I doubt it would make much difference in a normal non-dog eared channel, but with a dog eared channel, it can be the difference between it simply working or not.

From my findings, the unger rubber has the smallest width, the moerman, pulex and razrblade rubber is about the same (there are small differences). The unger rubber may only be like 1mm shorter, but it's the only rubber that will effectively work right with my custom dog eared contico/pulex channels.

I'm sure some of you will know this, but for the dog ear newbies, look at this diagram. I'm specifically taking about the distance highlighted by the green arrows:

http://i.imgur.com/b0cFZsA.jpg

There are several notes to make:

1, The razrblade rubber is about perfect for the liquidator channel.

2. The unger rubber is too short for the liquidator

3. The razrblade rubber is way too long for the pulex channel

4. The unger rubber is ok for the pulex channel.

The reasons are thus; if the rubber is too long, then the dog ear is not effectively pressing onto the rubber which is making contact with the window. If the rubber is too short, that can mean that the rubber in the middle of the channel is not sticking out enough to make proper contact with the window, even if the rubber under the dog ear is. Also, if the rubber is too short, the rubber can get pulled under the dog ear.
When I first set up my Wagtail, with angle cut channels, I found that only Unger rubbers would work in it, no matter what other rubber I used it did not work properly, I realised eventually, that it was that the Ungers were less wide.

 
When I first set up my Wagtail, with angle cut channels, I found that only Unger rubbers would work in it, no matter what other rubber I used it did not work properly, I realised eventually, that it was that the Ungers were less wide.
Aah yes, BUT, that's why Wagga does the little split/droop and actually is probably the inspiration for the Liquidator clips...and why it doesn't respond well to the Unger rubber. Fascinating how dog ear needs to be optimised not only for the channel but also the rubber we use.

 
I was thinking also you could glue another strip of plastic or metal onto the end of your dog ear, to bring it further up to the end of the rubber

 
Ha! I might have guessed /emoticons/biggrin.png

Is that JB weld you used? Damn, I would not have thought of that. Good idea. Now I have hope of using the razrblade rubber in my custom channels

 
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